Breaking Tradition
by supermegafoxyawesomehotstarkid
Summary: When you are born into the Malfoy heritage, it is expected that you adhere to the Malfoy ways.  But Draco Malfoy has much bigger plans for his life.
1. The Beginning

"Lucius, you can't allow him to do this. Not to my son, to OUR son!" I was kneeling on the floor, listening to my parents' whispers through the keyhole in the large, oak door of Father's office. My heart twinged as I realized that Mother was sobbing.

"Narcissa, what do you expect me to do. I can't just walk up to the Dark Lord and tell him what he can and cannot do. That's just suicide, and it would do nothing to help our… predicament." What predicament? Why were Mother and Father speaking this way? What was the Dark Lord planning to do with me? Fear gripped at my insides when I thought of what fate might be awaiting me.

"But Lucius, I couldn't stand it if something were to happen to my baby boy. He's our only child. We have to protect him!" Mother's voice broke as her sobs became louder and louder. "I know: we should just run away! We could go somewhere that no one would think to find us. We could change our appearances!"

"You know that would never work. It wouldn't matter if we turned ourselves into Muggles, he would still find us. Surely you know the power he possesses. There is no escaping the Dark Lord when he wants something of you." I heard Father sigh loudly. I desperately wished I had the courage to bust the door open and ask my parents what was going on. But, I knew Father would be furious that he had been lurking about and eavesdropping. Eavesdropping was one of the only things that Lucuis seriously got angry about. In Father's eyes, it was the same as lying.

"We must proceed with this meeting. Draco has to do what the Dark Lord asks, and we must act normally." At this statement, I heard Mother completely break down. It wouldn't have been necessary to eavesdrop to hear Mother's crying now.

"F-Fine. But I need to go. I have to t-talk to someone. To make sure Draco st-stays safe. I have to leave anyway. I can't be here when he comes." Mother's soft footsteps started getting closer to the office door. So, I leapt to my feet and bolted down the hallway to the staircase.

I raced up the two flights of stairs and closed the door after I entered my room. My plush, green emerald bed suddenly became very inviting so I plopped down onto the soft comforter. I was suddenly in a daze. What in the name of Merlin's beard were my parents speaking of? What did they know about my future that I did not? Apparently, I was going to have to meet with Lord Voldemort, and I never, ever wanted that to happen. But what did the Dark Lord want with me, Draco Malfoy, a sixteen-year-old, sixth-year, Hogwarts student?

Father suddenly opened the bedroom door, and I could see the strain in Father's usually imperceptible visage. The lines in his forehead were deepened and his face seemed to age twenty years with all the worry. Father shut the door behind him, crossed the room, and swiftly sat in the large, silver armchair across the room. I made myself sit with a blank face so that he wouldn't know that I heard the previous conversation.

"Father? Is there something wrong?" A chill went down my back and the hairs raised on the back of my neck as Father looked into his eyes. I saw something that I had never seen in them before: fear and desperation. We sat for what seemed like an eternity, but was probably mere seconds. It almost seemed as if the clock on the wall was ticking at an eighth of the normal speed. The silence was almost unbearable.

"Draco, I have a very grave, and important issue I need to discuss with you." Father paused and averted his eyes from mine. "The Dark Lord has requested a meeting tonight. And-" He closed his mouth and looked back into my eyes. "And you are to be present at this meeting. I'm sorry Draco, there's nothing we can do to prevent this."

I did not realize that I would be lost for words. I had already heard this conversation once. However, hearing it from Father confirmed that it was real and I was not just having a nightmare. Father just kept staring at me, waiting for some response to his overwhelming news. I squeezed my eyes shut, remembering the only other time I had been required to meet with the Dark Lord: my initiation into the Death Eater ranks. It was the most terrifying and painful night of my entire life, and it still haunted my many recurring nightmares. As I opened my eyes, I saw Father still patiently staring at me. I finally opened my mouth to speak, but still could not articulate my thoughts. So, instead of an actual response, what came out was was more like, "I- What- Why?"

Again, Father let out a loud sigh and then continued, "He requests that you be present at this particular meeting because he wants-because he has a mission for you to fulfill." The tone in Father's voice changed, considerably. It became a panicked and rushed response, which I had never heard come out of Father's mouth. Father was always the picture of cool, calm, and collected, under any circumstance. So it was understandable that my fear escalated. "Draco, you must do what he tells you to do. If you do not fulfill this mission, I am afraid he will kill you. You must do this, son. When you hear what the job is from him, do NOT object. Do not show apprehension or fear in your face, you must keep your expression blank. You must use the Occlumency that I taught you, because he will try to penetrate your mind as well. Please Draco, do what he asks. Your mother would die from grief if the Dark Lord killed you. And I would as well."

Father abruptly stood up from the plush armchair, crossed the room, and wrapped his arms tightly around me. The escalation of my fear, this time, caused my heart to clench unbearably and tears began to well in my eyes. Father was not known for his affection, so the verbal admission he just made and his arms wrapped around me made my mind wander to the horrible things that would await me when I failed. "I just want you to know that I love you, son. And I will never forgive myself for bringing you up in this world. It is a terrible fate to have fallen upon you."

I was at a complete loss for words. The rest of the color drained from my already pale face. I am sure that my face was now the shade of snow. Father had actually voiced his love for me. My mind was still running through all the torturous methods of death that would befall upon me. Then, I began to think about what the mission was actually going to be. It would probably involve doing something immoral. It took all of my control to keep the tears welling in my eyes to fall in front of Father. He would not be enthused about his son crying like a little child. I finally choked out, "I love you, too, Father. It is not your fault for this mess. I know that you only did what was necessary to keep our family alive. I would have done the same had I been in your position. I just wish there was another way to deal with him."

"Don't say things like that Draco. The Dark Lord could have any number of measures to listen to our conversations." Father whispered this sentence to me.

"Of course, father. I'm sorry I didn't think of that. Could you please leave now? I need some time to myself." Father walked over toward the door. He paused abruptly, as if he was going to say something to me, but then proceeded out of the door.

I cast a silencing charm on the door and buried my head in my hands. I finally allowed the tears to freely fall down my cheek. I did not want to do anything that the Dark Lord told me to do. However, I knew that there was nothing that I could do to stop it. I had to accept the fact that this quest, whatever it happened to be, was mine to fulfill. If I did not succeed in his demands, I would be killed without a second thought. The Dark Lord cared nothing for anyone on this Earth, so why would he care about an inadequate sixteen-year-old boy, especially considering I was the son of the Death Eater that embarrassed him.

After a few minutes, I sat up and wiped the tears from my face. There was no reason to weep over the eminent assignment anymore, so I walked into my bathroom to clean myself up. I splashed water in my face and then practiced keeping my face perfectly emotionless. I also stood and stared into the mirror as I practiced the Occlumency Father taught me. The most important thing for the meeting tonight was to make sure that Voldemort would not be able to read my thoughts. Finally, I believed that I was ready, or as ready as anyone could ever be, for the arrival of Lord Voldemort.

"Thank you, my friends, for joining me for this very important meeting." Lord Voldemort was sitting at the head of a very long table in the Malfoy Manor. Almost every Death Eater had assembled for this particular meeting. I found myself sitting near the middle of the table. My head was bowed, and Mother and Father were on either side of me. Mother was secretly squeezing my hand under the table. Father would not approve, but it was holding me together during this atrocious event.

Voldemort continued his speech, "This meeting is a very important meeting for one of our newest members." Voldemort took a pause and looked around the table, finally setting his eyes on me. My heart felt like it was going to pound right out of my chest. I was finally going to discover the destiny that the Dark Lord had planned out for me. Frankly, I did not want to find out what my mission was going to be. I secretly wished that he would just move his eyes to another newer member and give them the mission. However, I knew that he would not do that. He now had a grudge against my father for getting caught at the Ministry last year, and this was the perfect punishment.

"Draco Malfoy, I cannot think of a person better suited for this mission. You see, I need you to dispose of someone for me." I kept the look of horror off of my face at this statement, but just barely. I had many years practice keeping a blank face; father always taught me to be emotionless, because it was the only way to survive in our world. My practice before the meeting also helped me keep calm. "I find that you are the perfect candidate, because you will be in the same building with him for a whole year. You have been with him since you began your journey at Hogwarts. If there is any person here that can get to Albus Dumbledore, it is you. The old fool trusts in you, Draco Malfoy. He would never suspect his life to end at your hands."

So my mission was to kill Albus Dumbledore? This assignment is cruel and unusual punishment; because there is no way that I can kill Professor Dumbledore. Most of the Death Eaters think that Professor Dumbledore is the worst Head Master Hogwarts has ever seen. However, I think that he is a great Head Master. I would never want to kill him, and I honestly do not think that it would be physically possible for me to kill him. Professor Dumbledore is one of the most powerful wizards that the world has ever seen. I was terrified now. There is no way in Merlin's name that I could pull off killing Albus Dumbledore. Mother's hand squeezing mine was becoming unbearable and I knew she was having a very difficult time keeping herself collected.

"I believe that young Draco, here, can finish this job for me, what say you?" There were many snickers around the table. There was not, however, one sign from anyone that I could complete this mission. They knew what I knew as well: this was just a mission of revenge so that Voldemort could kill me. My shoulders slumped just slightly and I resigned to the fact that my life was now over.

"Now Draco, I know that this mission seems a little, out of reach, shall we say. But I know that you will complete this mission for me. If not, I'm afraid the consequences will be dire. And no one wants anything dreadful to fall upon the Malfoy family." There was a terrible silence around the table. Then, Voldemort's face contorted into the worst smile I have ever seen in my life. It was like I could see the contents of his soul, or really lack thereof, in that one smile. It was very clear that there never was or never will be any good in the soul of the Dark Lord. His eyes were completely void of anything. It was like I was looking into a dark sea of abyss.

"So, Draco, I'm sure that you will take great care in completing this mission and will take all possible routes to extinguish Albus Dumbledore. I will have Severus watch over you to make sure you are doing everything you possibly can. If he reports to me that you are not doing everything possible, you will be most sorry. This meeting is over, thank you, my friends, for joining us for this joyous occasion."

Voldemort got up from his chair and drifted out of the room. I sat motionless in my chair until all but my mother, father, and Severus Snape had left the room. I had not noticed that Snape was sitting directly across from me at the table. Snape has always been my favorite professor at Hogwarts, and I knew he had an arrangement with Mother to protect me from any harm. When I started at Hogwarts, Mother stopped me and told me about Snape. She said that if I ever needed any help or if I were in danger, Snape would be there to protect me.

Snape then stood up, cleared his throat, and turned to Mother. "As I promised you, I will be here to help Draco in any way possible. I also have some information for you three, but I do not believe that it is wise to speak here."

Father nodded his head slightly and said, "I agree with you, Severus. Where shall we meet? The location?"

"Yes. I will meet you there at approximately ten o'clock this evening. You must make sure that none of the other Death Eaters realize where you are going. You cannot be followed, because if you are, our location will be compromised and our efforts will be in vain." With that, Snape turned toward the door and walked out of the room.

Mother, Father, and I stayed sitting at the grand dining room table. I was staring at a blank point on the wall, Father had his head in his hands, and Mother was looking at me.

I wordlessly stood up from the table and slowly exited the room. My shoulders were slumped in defeat. I was now left with the difficult task of dealing with my assignment and the knowledge of my ultimate demise. I was not ready to die: no one is ever ready to die. I very much wanted the luxury of being a normal sixteen-year-old boy, but that was never going to happen for me. As long as Voldemort was alive, there was no happy ending for me. As I walked, my surroundings blurred with the angry tears falling from my eyes. In that moment, I was determined to do whatever was necessary to defeat Voldemort. I had a few ideas to contribute to our conversation this evening. I was not going to kill Albus Dumbledore, because there had to be a way around it.


	2. The Meeting

For the past few hours, I had simply been laying on my bed, staring at the ceiling. In my mind, I really wanted to curl up in a ball and cry. But I could not do that. Malfoy men did not cry, even when our lived were basically over. I heard my door slowly creak open and I drew in a deep breath.

"We must depart now, Draco." Father's eyes were downcast, and appeared to be red and puffy. I guess Father thought it was okay to cry. Father was always the perfect image of cool, calm, and collected, so when his façade faded, it was easy to figure out that there was something severely wrong. "You should probably pack a bag with your things in it. I am not sure how long we will be gone. Just come downstairs when you are finished packing and we will leave."

I turned and looked at my clock on the bedside table: 9:15 P.M. I did not have very long to pack. I slowly got up and wandered over to my desk. I spotted a glitter of gold and I reached for it. I had to pack this locket from my mother. I never left without it. Over the years, I was tormented many times for carrying it around in my pocket. But as I grew older, I began to care less and less what others thought of me. Inside the locket, there was a picture of me at two years old. I was in the garden at the Manor playing with my mother. We both looked so carefree, and it always brought a smile to my face. I did hide this item from most people, unless I was very close with them, because it was a very sentimental item. I loved my mother with all my heart.

I scanned the rest of the items lying on my desk and decided that I did not need to pack anything else. My eagle owl, Zeus, was in his cage next to my desk. I leaned down and opened his cage. "Hey boy. I'm going to be gone for a while, so I am going to let you out so you are not cooped up. Hopefully I will see you soon." He nudged my hand with his beak; his sad eyes seemed to be staring deep into my soul. I grabbed a treat for him off the desk, and then let him go out of my window. I watched him fly off into the distance until he was a tiny speck. Seeing my pet fly away from me seemed to give me a deeper feeling of hysteria.

As I walked toward my closet, my heartbeat increased and my breathing became shallow. I stopped by my closet, placed my hand against the wall with one hand, and clutched my side with the other. What in the hell was wrong with me? There is no possible situation that would allow me to live past this task. I was never going to be able to kill Albus Dumbledore, a man that many considered to be the greatest wizard in history. He was too smart, and when I failed, Voldemort would kill me. I have not had anywhere near a good or full life. So far, my life has really been shit. And failing this task would mean that I would never know what it's like to have a good life, a fulfilling life. My lungs were still closing in on me, and I felt as if I were about to die.

"Calm down, Draco. Take deep breaths." My mother glided across the room and wrapped her arms around me. It felt so nice to have her holding me. It was easier for me to believe that everything was going to be all right while she was consoling me. "It's alright. I am here and I will not let anything happen to you, ever." As she ran her hands through my platinum hair, my breathing began to return to normal.

"Thank you, Mum."

"What is wrong, Draco?" I did not know how to explain my hesitations to her. She was determined that her secret meeting with Snape was going to save me. But, I knew that no matter what we did, I was still going to be killed.

"What if this is all for naught? What if he finds out we are going behind his back and kills me anyway, before I even have the chance to try and fulfill his wishes."

"Oh, Draco. I know that this is a lot for you to handle. It is a lot for everyone involved in your life as well. No one would ever wish any harm upon you. We just have to do our best. You will have to practice you Occlumency with your father. But we can only do our best. I am positive that he will not find out about this meeting." The silence lingered in the air after her statement. She could not be positive of something like that. But I had to persuade her that everything was going to be all right. I could not bear to see her hurt and crying anymore. She needed to believe that everything would turn out right for me. So I gave her a small smile. "I just came up to check and see if you are packed. We need to leave very soon."

"I am almost ready. I just need to grab some clothes." Somehow, it had been a half an hour since I got up from my bed. It only seemed like it had been seconds, but I guess time flies when your life is flashing in front of your eyes. I walked in the closet and threw some of my robes and some other clothes in my knapsack. I took care to neatly fold my favorite t-shirt. "We can go now. I am all packed."

As we walked down the long hallway toward the stairs, I noticed my mother was playing with her fingernails. She did not do that unless she was extremely nervous. So I did the only thing that would comfort us both: I grabbed her hand and said, "I love you, Mum."

"Draco, I love you too. So much." We walked in comfortable silence all the way to the front foyer.

Father was waiting by the front doorway. "We are going to apparate to meet Severus. So we are going to have to walk off the property line." Apparation is my least favorite form of transportation, so I was not thrilled that we had to use it. I was also going to have to side-apparate with my father, because I was not of age to have an Apparating License.

We arrived in the middle of a deserted street about five minutes early. The neighborhood surrounding us was definitely not a wizarding community. I had no idea, however, where we actually were. Because it was so late, most of the houses were pitch black. But as we walked further down the block, I could see people watching strange flickering boxes. The contraption was definitely not a wizarding device.

Directly ahead of us, the sidewalk seemed to disappear into complete blackness. It was as if someone had taken all of the streetlights out of the block. Father stopped us right before the blacked out block. "I believe that we are supposed to meet him here."

Snape apparated on the corner directly in front of us. "Good evening. If you will follow me, we can begin with our meeting. I'm sure that the others are already waiting for us."

Others? I wasn't aware that there were going to be other people. I was so confused as to where we were going, and now I was worried about who was going to be at this "meeting" with us.

It was hard to see anything as we were walking, because the only light shining down on us was the little sliver of the moon. Snape stopped us right in front of the space between two houses. I almost asked why he had stopped us, but then my jaw dropped, because where the space in front of us was just seconds ago, there was now a house forming.

"What is this place? Why did it just pop out of nowhere?" That house popping out of nowhere is the reason that I love magic and being a wizard. It seems that there is never an end to what magic can actually do.

"We can talk about it inside, Draco. Just be patient, and please do not talk about it out here. We cannot risk anyone discovering this location." Snape was staring very intently at the growing house in front of us. After a few minutes, he motioned us forward and into the house.

When we entered the house, it was not at all as I expected it to be. The entrance hallway was very dark and dreary. There were cobwebs in the corner and a thick layer of dust upon all of the surfaces. Snape strode forward and lead us down a short flight of stairs into an equally dreary looking kitchen. As we stepped into the kitchen, I froze because it was completely full; it was full of people I didn't necessarily want to see.

"What the bloody hell are they doing here?! Is this seriously why we were called into this meeting? What kind of rubbish is this?" Of course Weasley was the first person to comment on our arrival. He was always my least favorite of the famous "Golden Trio." He was a daft buffoon and his idiocy never ceased to amaze me.

Sitting next to the outraged redhead was Granger. She had a look of severe disgust upon her face but she didn't say anything. I don't blame Granger for hating me, because I was always a right git to her and every other muggleborn at Hogwarts. As a younger child, I thought that it was acceptable practice to treat people like dirt, because it was what I grew up around. Now, however, I wish that I could go back in time and take back all of the nasty things that I ever did to other people. I really do not have anything against muggles or muggleborns. If anyone could prove that muggleborns were just as capable at magic as purebloods, it was Granger.

Sitting next to her was the famous boy-who-lived. The only thing I had against Harry was that he denied my friendship first year. I realize that it was a better decision on his part, but it still stung when he denied my handshake. I don't really let people know that I actually do have my feelings hurt. Harry was just staring at us; he didn't really have any emotion showing on his face.

There were many other people in the room too. Multiple other redheads were scattered throughout the kitchen (I assumed that they all belonged to the Weasley brood). There were some unfamiliar faces mixed in here and there. However, I also recognized some other faces in the crowd: Dumbledore, Madeye Moody, Lupin, and Sirius Black were among them.

Sirius stood up at the end of the table, "Welcome to the noble house of Black." He rolled his eyes after making this statement. "I'm sure that you all are wondering why the Malfoys are at our headquarters, so I will let Dumbledore begin this meeting."

"I thank you all for taking the time to come and meet with me this evening. I realize that this is probably not what any of you expected to be dealing with this evening. But, we have recently gained some new information, which I will not be able to reveal to you I am afraid, and this information can help us with our efforts in the war."

"What could this git and his evil family possibly have to offer us that would HELP us?!" I was seriously getting sick and tired of Weasley shouting nonsense at us. He literally knows nothing about my life, so he should not have acted as if he did.

"Seriously, Ronald! Just stop yelling and listen to what they have to say. Is it not possible for you to just keep it to yourself for once!" The look on Weasley's face after Granger's outburst was priceless. After that, Weasley slunk back against the wall and he didn't speak for the rest of the meeting.

"Contrary to popular belief, my family and I do not actually support the Dark Lord's views. It has been a trying time for us for the past few years. We thought that we had rid our lives of his evil, but when he came back… It was quite terrible, because he came to live at our family's home. I only went to his side the first time to ensure that my wife and my son would be protected. Because that has always been the Malfoy bloodline's role in the world. If I had declined his invitation to join the Death Eaters, he would most definitely have killed my family. I could not risk that happening." Lucius paused and rubbed his hand against his forehead. "I am tired of this lifestyle. I need to become better at actually protecting my family. My son has been asked to do something that will most definitely lead to the Dark Lord killing him. I will not stand idly by and watch it happen. I want to offer my allegiance to the order, because I believe that it would benefit both parties."

The whole room was quiet. After Father finished his speech, the silence stretched on. No one seemed to have anything to say. Many of the members in the room continued to stare as at my family as if we were dirt. It was very unnerving, so I decided to speak up.

"Listen, I know that none of you think my family is worth anything. Our past might suggest that that is true; however, the fact that we came here tonight, asking for your help speaks volumes about our present family. We do not want what has been laid out for us. We do not believe in what the Dark Lord is fighting for. I know I have acted regrettably in the past. I want to apologize for anything that I have ever said or done to anyone in this room. I realize it is a lot to ask, but we really want you to be able to trust us, because we cannot go back to living as we were."

I sat down after I ended my speech and I am sure that my cheeks were the shade of tomatoes. I felt like melting into my chair. And still, no one in the room said a word. Some of the looks of hatred went away, but there was an overall air of distaste in the room.

"I know that people can change. I know how hard this must have been for your family. I think that we should all give them a chance to prove to us that they can help us." I was stunned. The boy wonder stood up for my family. He looked directly at me after his proclamation and I gave him a weak smile. It was very hard to be my usual confident self in these circumstances. When Harry's eyes met mine, I could see that he was sincere in believing in my family.

"I hope that all of you will take this into consideration. I just wanted to meet tonight so that you could hear about this event. I would appreciate if the Malfoys, Snape, and Harry and Hermione would remain. I wish to speak with all of you."


	3. The Discovery

Most of the other Order members filed out, but Weasley lingered a little longer. "I don't like you guys staying in here to talk with them." Ron said 'them' with such venom it might have been a curse word. He was glaring daggers at my family. All I wanted to do was stand up and punch the look of hated off his face. He didn't understand what my family has been through over the years. No one here understood what it was like.

"Mr. Weasley, I did not ask you to stay behind, because I do not believe that would be a wise decision considering the circumstances. I assume that your friends will fill you in, but that is completely up to them. So, I ask that you please leave because we need to continue this meeting."

The look on Weasley's face was priceless. He was fuming from the ears now. But he turned and stomped out of the kitchen, muttering to himself. Dumbledore stood up and put a silencing charm on the door to the kitchen, as well as a few other simple spells to ensure that no one would listen in on their conversation.

"Alright. Now. To begin, I hope that we can keep this meeting a secret. I do realize, Harry and Hermione, that you share things with Mr. Weasley. If you share this with him, you must impress upon him the importance of keeping this a secret. We do not want to put anyone in this room into severe danger."

Dumbledore looked over his half-moon spectacles at the pair sitting in front of him. Potter and Granger looked at each other for a brief minute.

"What is it that we are keeping a secret, Professor?"

"Ah, yes. Now we must get to the important part of this evening. You see, young Mr. Malfoy was given a task from Lord Voldemort a few nights ago. It is not a very pleasant task, and it is one that Mr. Malfoy is expected to fail at. Lord Voldemort most likely believes that he will be killing young Draco in the near future." I winced at Dumbledore's statement. It was hard to hear my future so bluntly laid out in front of me. The pair of Gryffindors had looks of shock upon their face.

"Why in Merlin's name would Voldemort want to kill Malfoy?" Granger sounded thoroughly confused by the situation.

"I am afraid that is my fault. I should have known better. I tried to foil his plan of getting the prophecy at the Ministry. It succeeded, but backfired when he discovered that was my intention. If Bellatrix wasn't so insane, it might have gone a little more smoothly. Although he never said anything to me about it directly, this task they ask of Draco makes it explicitly clear that his intention is payback for my unfaithfulness."

Potter chimed in after that, "So what exactly is Malfoy l being forced to do?"

I looked down at my knotted hands in my lap. "He told me I was to rid the magical world of the one and only person that Voldemort sees as a threat to him." I looked up directly at Professor Dumbledore. "He told me I have to kill Professor Dumbledore by the end of this school year, or he would kill me."

The entire room stayed silent for a long while. Everyone in the room was letting Potter and Granger process this turn of events.

Finally Potter spoke, "So what do we have to do with this? Hire is Malfoy going to get out of this situation?"

"Severus and I have devised a plan that should help everyone out in the long run. You have to understand that the events of this plan are inevitable anyway. So it will do no good to reject it. I will let Severus explain it to you."

"Please do not interrupt me until I have finished fully explaining the plan. I understand that this plan will cause many emotions, especially for you Potter, but it is important for you all to understand the gravity of the situation. If this plan succeeds, which there is no reason that it should not, the Death Eaters should be placated. This summer, Albus came across a ring believed to belong to one of Voldemort's ancestors. The ring was, in fact, cursed and the curse was passed to Dumbledore when he put it on his finger. This is the cause of his blackened hand. The curse will, ultimately, lead to Albus's death." Snape went silent for a minute to allow his words to sink in. Potter had a look of complete horror on his face and Granger looked near tears.

"Our plan is very complex and will require all of your efforts to make sure that it is administered successfully. First, you three need to be trained Occlumens. It is very important that Voldemort cannot get into your mind to see what the Order is planning; especially for you Harry. I will be training each if you once a day until you can successfully block me out of your mind.

"Draco will be playing his part so the Death Eaters are not aware that he is a spy. Throughout the school year, Draco will be 'fixing' a broken cabinet. The Death Eaters have been led to believe that they will be invading the castle through this cabinet. The critical part of the plan will be at the end of your school year, but we will discuss these details later. There is no need to worry over it right now. It is very important that the three of you act as you normally would so that no one catches on to this plan; not even any other Order members. It is also important that the three of you forge a friendship of sorts, because you will need to help each other over the year. Many of the things that Dumbledore and I will be asking of you will be easier to deal with and complete as a team. This is all the information that I have for you right now. We will begin your training as soon as we get back to Hogwarts. Are there any questions that the three of you have right now?"

I had nothing to say, or rather I had everything to say, but there was too much to process. Granger and Potter looked about the same.

Dumbledore stood from his chair and said, "Very well. Our meeting has come to an end for the evening. I would encourage the three of you to meet here at Grimauld Place at least once before school starts to talk with each other. I realize that the three of you never got along, but it is important that you get along now. If you discover any questions you might have, feel free to come and see me when you return to Hogwarts." With that, Dumbledore walked out of the room.

Weasley burst into the room and started yelling, "What was that all about? We couldn't hear a single thing out there with our Extendable Ears. I don't like that you guys are having secret meetings with these people. They shouldn't even be here!"

"Honestly, Ronald! Get over yourself!" Granger huffed and then ran out of the room. Weasley looked embarrassed and then followed her out.

After Granger was out of the room, I realized that I was still staring at the empty doorway she had retreated through.


End file.
